Is Technology Overcoming Books?

By Kayleigh Lepage

            EASTON, Ma. – Michaela Ryan, a college student at Stonehill, spends almost every day in the library but not because of the books.

            Some libraries these days are becoming used more for online resources than for books.

            “Now that there are so many materials available electronically, items online get used more. In the olden days you would only use a book that was available in the library whereas now, students and people have more access to more materials that they wouldn’t have physically,” said Heather Perry, librarian at Stonehill College.

            Because there’s so much access to information resourses, academic libraries become a huge part of a student’s experience.

            “I used the library resources twice last year when I was required to for papers in History and Religion, but I haven’t used them yet this year,” Ryan, the Stonehill student said.

            In the MacPhadain Library at Stonehill College, resources are offered online or at the service desk face to face with a librarian and/or a guide to help you throughout the library. 

            “You see less and less people taking out books and more people using the online resources,” Perry said. 

            “I usually only rent out books if I can use it for the majority of my paper. I have rented books out for my History, Religion and English classes,” said sophomore Eva Weinstein.

            Online resources seem to be more useful to college students these days than books or physical resources. Most professors assign assignments that require online resources to be used.  

            “I use at least two eReserves a week for my history class to read articles that is pertaining to the topic of the week,” said Lauren Kapatoes, a sophomore at Stonehill. 

            Technology appears to be taking over at the library. Milagros Katz, a head librarian at Bridgton Academy, a post grad school in Maine, said that technology is quick and easy.

            “There is more emphasis in place on technology. It’s quick and easy to obtain information through the Internet than going through a book. Professors/teachers are directing students’ research that way. Very few teachers at Bridgton Academy require students to cite books beside the internet sources,” Milagros said.         

According to a 2013 survey by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, 54 percent of Americans aged 16 and older have used a public library in some way in the past 12 months.

Besides just reading, renting books, and researching information, libraries are also used to create connections within people in the community.

Public libraries remain very popular among all users, and as of 2014, younger patrons read and use the library at the same rate as older ones. Over 94 percent of Americans say “having a public library improves the quality of life in a community,” according to a 2013 survey by the Pew Internet and American Life Project.

“I like to think that I embrace technology just as much as the other. Personally, I with they [students] learn to use hard copy sources. ALA, American Library Association, and the Library of Congress emphasize for the 21^st century learner is technology,” Katz said.

In the MacPhadain Library at Stonehill College, one room was transformed from a computer lab to a multi-purpose technology room.

The new room on the first floor of the library was soon named the Brian J. Flynn Discover and Collaboration Space, also known as the DisCo room. Librarians for teaching information use it, it’s also used by faculty as a collaborator for classes, and by students to study and relax.

Some students said the room brings life to the library, allowing a new way to research or connect with study groups.

“I think it’s mostly used for group projects. Maybe so that you feel more comfortable being loud and talking if you have a group project,” Weinstein said.

 “If I go into the ‘DisCo room’, it’s usually to study with other people that way we are allowed to talk and converse without getting weird glares from other students,” Ryan, the Stonehill student said.

The transition from a computer lab to a ‘DisCo room’ has indeed increased the use for resources with the six large computer screens, and the three HD flat television screens, but it has also created an environment where people feel comfortable enough to talk.